Cherry Chocolate Mousse Pie and Death by Chocolate Brownies! Happy Mother’s Day!

I was recently at the H.E. Corley Elementary School Carnival in Irmo, SC doing a booth for Chicks Love Chocolate and met a wonderful lady who worked for Pampered Chef.
She sent me these two great chocolate recipes:

Cherry Chocolate Mousse Pie

Pampered Chef 2004

1 package refrigerated pie crust dough, softened (15oz)
1 egg white,lightly beaten
3/4 cups semi-sweet chocolate morsels, divided
1 package cream cheese, softened (8ounces)
1/4 cup powdered sugar
2 Tablespoons milk
1 container frozen whipped topping,thawed, divided
1 can cherry pie filling (21 ounces) divided

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Unfold one crust onto lightly floured Baker’s mat. Roll into a 12inch circle using a floured rolling pin. Place into a deep dish pie plate, pressing dough into bottom and up sides. Unfold remaining crust onto lightly floured surface. Cut 24 hearts using heart shaped cookie cutter. Brush edge of crust with egg white; gently press hearts onto the edge of the crust. Prick bottom and sides with a pastry tool. Bake 10-12 minutes or until lightly golden brown. Cool completely.
2. Microwave 1/2 cup of the chocolate morsels, uncovered on high for one minute. Stir at every 20 second intervals until smooth. Chop remaining chocolate. In batter bowl, combine cream cheese and powdered sugar; whisk in milk and melted chocolate until smooth. Fold in chopped chocolate and 2 1/2 cups of the whipped topping until blended.
3. Spoon half of the cherry pie filling over the bottom of the crust, spread with cream cheese mixture. Top with remaining pie filling. Pipe remaining whipped topping around the edge. For chocolate drizzle, microwave 1/4 cup of the remaining chocolate morsels with 1 teaspoon vegetable oil for 30 seconds or until melted; drizzle over pie. Refrigerate 30 minutes.
Yield: 8 servings

Death by Chocolate Brownies

Make the recipe on a package of Ghiradelli brownie mix (eggs, oil, water). With your kitchen spritzer, spray oil in the bottom of the 9 x 9 square baker or for more brownies use the 9 x 13 baker and 2 boxes of Ghiradelli brownie mix. Pour half the prepared brownie mix in the bottom of the pan. Add 2 Symphony Chocolate bars (any good chocolate will do) and pour the other half of the brownie mix over the bars. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

For more information and to order from Pampered Chef:
www.pamperedchef.biz/ruthcornell

Hungry Girl-Developed Chocolate Muffin Tops! A Healthy Chocolate Treat!

Get ‘em before they are gone! Vitalicious makers now make a “Vita Top” Muffin Top in Double Chocolate Dreams. It is a 2oz muffin top in rich decadent chocolate studded with white chocolate chips. 6 grams of fiber and only 100 calories. A true healthy chocolate find! For those of you who do not know what Vitalicious is…. they are vitamin-fortified baked goods available in stores and online. They also make a Deep Chocolate VitaMuffins and muffin tops and VitaBrownies!

http://store.vitalicious.com/doubledream.html

Chocolate Fest USA-Live Chocolatey Ever After!

Anyone up for a great Chocolate Festival? Visit the 2007 Chocolate Fest USA in Burlington, Wisconsin. May 25-28 this year! This year is the introduction of “The Chocolate Kingdom” at ChocolateFest!!! The Chocolate Kingdom is the premier tent attraction at this year’s fest, boasting air conditioning and massive square footage (double the size of previous years) in order to accommodate more chocolate vendors, more chocolate samples, more chocolate contests and more chocolate exhibits.
There is also chocolate carving contests, royal bake-offs and Chocolate Olympics!

See you there!

for more information go to:

www.chocolatefest.com

Presciption Chocolate-Nibs!

My friend from www.bonjourparis.com spotted this new trend in chocolate-

Get your fix! 20 dram vials of Chocolat Michel Cluizel’s exquisite “Prescription” cocoa nibs. Roasted cacao beans, crushed and covered with our luxurious 60% cocoa dark chocolate. For concentration, energy and bliss, savor three, as needed.

Only $5.00 each !

www.chocolatmichelcluizel-na.com/product_details.asp?product=NIBSVIAL

“Be a Babe” Black and White Cupcakes

This recipe is from Discovery Health’s food TV show using healthy cooking and great tips to reduce the fat and sugar in recipes.

For the cupcakes:

Butter-flavored cooking spray

1-1/4 cups unbleached, all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa

1/4 cup corn starch

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1-1/4 cups sugar

1 cup fat free milk

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

3 egg whites

1/2 cup light corn syrup
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place 18 silicone or foil (not paper) cup cake liners into 18 cups of 2 standard, non-stick muffin tins (or you can work in batches, using only 1 tin). If using foil liners, lightly mist them with spray.
Add the flour, cocoa, corn starch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Using your hands, mix them until combined, being sure to break any lumps. Set it aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using a sturdy whisk, mix the sugar, milk and coffee granules, stirring continuously for 1 minute. Whisk in the egg whites and the corn syrup until blended. Add the dry ingredients and stir them until just smooth. Fill each cup about two-thirds full. Transfer the pan to the oven and bake them about 21-25 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out dry (a few crumbs are okay). Transfer the pan to a cooling rack for 10 minutes. Then remove the cupcakes from the pan and allow them to cool completely.

For the butter cream frosting:

1/2 cup light butter, room temperature

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1/8 teaspoon salt

3-3/4 cups powdered sugar
Add the butter, vanilla and salt to a medium mixing bowl. Using an electric mixer fitted with beaters, beat it on high speed until smooth. Then add half of the powdered sugar. Beat on low speed until well combined. Beat in the remaining powdered sugar until combined. Then beat on high speed until fluffy. Cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap until the cupcakes are completely cooled. Then spread 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons of the icing evenly over each cupcake. Makes 18 cupcakes.

Each cupcake has: 230 calories, 2 g protein, 52 g carbohydrates, 3 g fat, 2 g saturated fat, 7 mg cholesterol, less than 1 g fiber, 204 mg sodium
Traditional Black and White Cupcakes have: 384 calories, 5 g protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 21 g fat, 13 g saturated fat, 93 mg cholesterol, 2 g fiber, 104 mg sodium

Love it when you can save some cals! Right gals!

http://health.discovery.com/fansites/devin-alexander/recipes/cupcakes.html